Guilford College

“Basically [Guilford] is a place where people trust and like each other. It is a stimulating place where the teachers care, where they expect a lot, and where they provide encouragement as well as the challenge to get young people to do things they had no idea they could do.“
– Colleges That Change Lives

Founded in 1837 by the Society of Friends, known as Quakers, Guilford College inspires each student to achieve excellence through an engaging community, which nurtures creativity and social responsibility. We are guided by our Quaker heritage, instilling in all of us community, equiality, integrity, peace, and simplicity. In classrooms and on campus, we embrace those principles every day.

Guilford College is a community of open-minded learners who promote positive change in the world. In small class settings, Guilford’s caring faculty get to know, challenge and support every student. Our curriculum focuses on writing, reasoning, class discussions and solving problems–preparing students for the world’s future challenges. True to our Quaker commitments, Guilford’s diverse and welcoming environment leads to an appreciation and respect for difference. Our alumni tell us they succeed in their graduate programs and their jobs because of the transformative academic and personal experiences they had at Guilford.

Located in Greensboro, North Carolina (pop. 277,000), with a metro area population of 1.6 million.

Five colleges and universities in Greensboro (Guilford College, Bennett College, Greensboro College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and North Carolina A&T State University) have a total enrollment of approximately 30,000 students. Guilford participates in an academic consortium with these colleges as well as Elon University and High Point University.

Worth Noting

Guilford’s commitment to sustaining our environment is campus-wide and is reflected in a variety of initiatives, including: solar panels on residence halls, dining hall composting, a student-led bio retention site project, occupancy sensors in the Frank Family Science Center, LEED building standards, a bike shop to encourage alternative transportation opportunities, community vegetable gardens, and energy-efficient exercise equipment in our fitness area. The Princeton Review has recognized our earth-friendly efforts in their Guide to 322 Green Colleges, awarding Guilford with a “green” rating of 91 out of 100.

The Princeton Review included Guilford in its Best 379 Colleges, 2015 edition, and ranked our college radio station, WQFS, 13th on the “Best College Radio Station” list.

Forbes magazine selected Guilford as part of its America’s Top Colleges list, 2013 edition.

Guilford is one of 24 colleges to be selected for the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation’s Bonner Scholars program, whose mission is to transform the lives of students and their campuses and communities through community service.

Placed on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, Guilford is consistently recognized for exemplary service efforts and service to America’s communities

The American Scholastic Press Association named The Guilfordian, our weekly student newspaper, the Most Outstanding College Newspaper of 2013-14.

Amazing experiential learning experiences are available at Guilford, including our Guilford Undergraduate Symposium for student research, study abroad opportunities in more than 200 international locations, and professional internship placements in domestic and international locations.

An optional January term immerses students in intensive educational projects (including internships, service learning, independent/group projects, seminars, study away or study abroad) that are deliberately innovative and experiential with the goals of encouraging self-motivated independent learning and the ability to understand issues and concepts in action. Recent J-term opportunities have included study abroad, trips to India, Italy, Costa Rica, and Taiwan; study away trips to Minnesota, New Mexico, and Washington, D.C.; and on-campus coursework in wood-working and furniture history, forensic photography, and sustainable farming.

Our Center for Principled Problem Solving (PPS) is dedicated to creating avenues for students to explore and learn about social change and innovation as imagined through the lenses of Guilford’s core values of community, diversity, equality, excellence, integrity, justice and stewardship. PPS Scholars have participated in programs with the Clinton Global Initiative University, Unity Hoops Basketball, the Maryland House of Delegates, the American Friends Service Committee, among others.

Pre-professional programs are available at Guilford not as academic majors but rather as preparatory experiences connected with academic majors.
Pre-Law
Pre-Medicine
Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Pre-Dentistry
Pre-Pharmacy
Pre-Physical Therapy
Pre-Ministerial

Campus Life

Guilford students pursue variety with passion through the following opportunities: more than 40 campus clubs and organizations; a thriving campus ministry program; an active Multicultural Education department; vibrant theatre, music, and art programs; a nationally-ranked campus radio station (WQFS-FM); an award-winning weekly student newspaper (The Guilfordian); intercollegiate, intramural, and club athletics; extensive outreach activities in local, national, and international communities.

Housing choices include traditional residence halls for first-year students; themed houses (where groups of students live together who share a special interest), residence halls, or apartments or upperclassmen.

In addition to NCAA Division III varsity sports, students play club sports: men’s and women’s rugby, Ultimate Frisbee, and cheerleading.

Guilford graduates are prepared for life after college, as evidenced by 85% of our alumni attending graduate school or having full-time employment within six months of graduation. Our pre-professional students also experience a 75% admission rate to medical school (well above the 47% national average) and at least 90% of our education studies graduates are hired to teach within one year after graduation.

Guilford alumni are living their passions all over the world. Meet a few of our Guilford graduates who are creating positive change in the world: a free-lance food and travel writer in Thailand; a veterinarian who works with military working dogs in Cuba; an editor and writer at ncaa.com; an investment research analyst in Massachusetts; a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship scholar in Germany.

Some of our recent alumni have been admitted to graduate programs at the City University London (England), University of Michigan, Zurich University of the Arts (Switzerland), Harvard University, Boston College, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.

Guilford is test-optional. In lieu of SAT/ACT scores, students can submit a portfolio of written work. For more information, click here.

Who makes up the Guilford College Class of 2018? Classmates who led camping expeditions along the Appalachian Trail; completed a media internship with a minor league baseball team; and lived and worked on a cattle station in the Northern Territory of Australia.